May 21, 2025 Ukraine and the World – Against russia’s Aggression. Sanctions in Action

Italy has announced a new military aid package for Ukraine, including the SAMP/T air and missile defense system, 400 M113 armored personnel carriers, ammunition for artillery, and satellite support to monitor the movement of russian troops.

“We (the EU) have set the amount at EUR 20 billion, but I believe we should exceed this amount. There are also more ambitious commitments to reach  EUR 40 billion this year. And this is what we can and should do. If everyone allocates 0.25 % of GDP, as we do, we can easily achieve this financial contribution for Ukraine,” said  Minister of  Defence of Latvia Andris Sprūds about the investments in the defense industry of our country, which should ensure the ability to negotiate with russia from a position of strength.

Ukraine and the Czech Republic have  agreed to cooperate in training Ukrainian pilots of F-16 aircrafts. The countries will also strengthen their strategic partnership, cooperation in the defense industry, economy and trade. Since the beginning of russia’s invasion, Ukraine has received EUR 80 million in aid from the Czech Republic for the energy sector.

This year, Ukraine has received 400,000 rounds of ammunition of various calibers as part of the Czech initiative.

The International Monetary Fund mission has started the eighth review of the Extended Fund Facility program with the Ukrainian authorities. Ukraine has already received about $10.1 billion from the IMF out of the $15.5 billion it was supposed to receive under the program.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen believes that the new agreement between the United Kingdom  and the EU strengthens support for Ukraine.

“It is important that the United States remains engaged in this process. We will continue to support Volodymyr Zelenskyy in achieving a lasting peace in Ukraine,” President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen commented on potential peace talks between russia and Ukraine.

Spokesperson for the European Commission Paula Piño has said that the next talks between Ukraine and the rf  could already take place with the participation of Europe and the United States.

“They agreed to closely coordinate the negotiation process and strive to hold another technical meeting... European participants announced that they would increase pressure on the russian side through sanctions,” German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's office said in a statement on the results of US President Donald Trump’s phone call with putin.

“Finland continues to support the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine,” assured President Alexander Stubb.

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On May 20, the European Union approved a new package of sanctions against russia, the 17th  in a row since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to the EU’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas, the package will affect nearly 200 vessels of the rf's “shadow fleet”. “The new measures also address hybrid threats and human rights,” Kallas added. President of the European Commission  also informed about the start of work on new sanctions. “The longer russia wages the war, the tougher our response will be,” Kallas emphasized.

The EU’s sanctions include the LNG tankers North Moon, North Ocean and North Light, as well as the dredging vessel Tong Yuan, two vessels for the transportation of heavy and oversized cargo Nan Feng Zhi Xing and Ocean 28.

The European Union has imposed sanctions on  three russian institutions involved in the development and use of chemical weapons. The “blacklist” includes the radiation, chemical and biological defense troops, the 27th  scientific center and the 33rd  central research and testing institute of the rf’s ministry of defence.

Ceo of kamaz sergey kogogin has also been  sanctioned by the EU. The reason for his inclusion in the sanctions list is the use of kamaz  trucks in the combat zone, as well as the top manager’s support for the military operation in Ukraine.

The EU has imposed sanctions on  the main radio frequency center, a state-owned unitary enterprise under the jurisdiction of roskomnadzor, because of its involvement in GPS failures in several European countries, which disrupted the work of civil aviation.

The European Union has included 28 judges and investigators responsible for human rights violations in russia into its anti-russian sanctions list.

The UK Government  has announced the expansion of sanctions against the rf  in response to the massive attack on Ukraine on the night of May 18, during which the russian army used a record number of attack drones. The sanctions will affect 100 entities in russia’s military, energy and financial sectors, as well as those who are waging an information war against Ukraine.

The EU plans to propose to the G7 Ministers of Finance to reduce the current price ceiling for russian oil transported by sea to $50 a barrel.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Lithuania Kęstutis Budrys believes that sanctions against russia in the energy sector can force putin to cease fire. Budris believes that the EU should cut off the main revenues to the budget of the rf and its military apparatus, the source of which is “the export of gas, oil and liquefied natural gas”.

Despite president putin’s statements about the “unprecedented” level of partnership with China and the “limitless” opportunities for cooperation between the two countries, Chinese investors have sharply reduced their investments in russia amid the war in Ukraine.  While in 2011-2018, on average, China invested $1.2 billion a year in russian projects, in 2022-2023, the figure decreased  threefold to $400 million.

Beijing has also significantly reduced its purchases of russian hydrocarbons. In April, coal and oil supplies fell by about 13 % compared to the same month last year.

Apple in russia was fined 7.5 million rubles under three protocols on “LGBT propaganda”.

Strengthening statehood in russia should be more important than ensuring the rights of citizens and the rule of law, said minister of  justice  of the rf  konstantin chuichenko.

The deputy head of the ministry of justice has proposed to immediately initiate criminal proceedings for violation of the law on “foreign agents”, as people now “celebrate the fact of being included in the register”.

It is becoming increasingly difficult for russians to service the debts they incurred during the credit boom of 2023 and the first half of 2024. In the first quarter, more than 1.5 million people asked banks for loan restructuring, i.e. changing the terms or suspending payments on loan repayment holidays. This is by 12 % more than in the fourth quarter, and last year the number of applications for restructuring grew  by 20 % every quarter.

According to the General Administration of Customs of the People’s Republic of China,  in January-April, exports of Chinese passenger cars to russia almost halved, and  of trucks –  declined fivefold. Thus, the supply of Chinese passenger cars to russia fell by 47.2 % from January to April, and by 16.2 % – in April compared to March 2025. Truck deliveries fell fivefold (-79.7 %) in the first four months of 2025.

President of Lithuania Gitanas Nausėda has said that the countries of the region could join the lawsuit his country filed against belarus at the International Court of Justice in The Hague over the provoked migration crisis. Commenting on the filing of the lawsuit, Nauseda emphasized that the lukashenko regime’s actions violate international law.

ojsc “minsk wheel tractor plant” was included in the 17th  package of sanctions against russia over its aggression in Ukraine.

After the 2020 protests in belarus, more than 6,000 people were convicted, said the head of the investigative committee of the rb, dmitriy gora. In addition, he pointed out  the liquidation of the Union of Poles of Belarus, whose members, according to him, honored Nazi collaborators (the investigation considers the Polish Home Army of World War II to be such collaborators) and “involved young people in criminal actions.” The rb is also investigating 50 criminal cases “against officials of Latvia, Lithuania and Poland”.  The victims are allegedly 349 foreigners, 58 of whom were killed. Here are meant  the  attempts by migrants from belarus to break through to the EU countries.

In Malyie Sekhnovichi (Zhabinka district, Brest region), which had been owned by the Kościuszko family for several centuries, the first monument to Tadeusz Kościuszko, a national hero, leader of the 1794 uprising, and a famous native of belarus, who is revered in the country and other countries, has been demolished. In 2023, the head of lukashenko’s administration, igor sergienko, stated that he did not consider Tadeusz Kościuszko and Kastus Kalinowski to be national heroes of belarus. In the same year, “recommendations” were sent to educational institutions on how teachers should properly teach history, literature, social studies, and other subjects. By order, students were taught that Tadeusz Kościuszko was a Polish patriot, his goal was to revive Rzeczpospolita  within the borders of 1772, and that the defeat of Kościuszko’s uprising and the partition of Rzeczpospolita  allowed belarusians to survive as a people. In April 2024, a memorial plaque in honor of Tadeusz Kościuszko, which had been hanging there for 30 years, was also removed from the wall of the New Castle in Grodno.

Instead of belarusian schoolchildren, lukashenko’s regime plans to improve the health of  children from russia, Algeria and Egypt in children’s camps in belarus for money from the state budget. There are no places for belarusian children.

belarus has 5 more political prisoners. According to human rights activists, there are currently 1,182 political prisoners in the rb.